The present invention relates to retaining members, and more particularly to retaining members configured for use with shafts of gas turbine engines and associated assembly methods.
Machines such as gas turbine engines often include stacks of rotatable parts that must be held together during operation. Tie shafts and threaded retaining nuts are commonly used to hold together, and in some instances axially compress, rotor stacks in gas turbine engines. The operating envelope of a typical gas turbine engine can generate significant forces and temperatures, which can cause certain components to deform. Under such conditions the retaining nut can exhibit undesirable “lift-off”, or may loosen or otherwise undesirably reduce its effectiveness in holding the rotor stack together. In particular, a forward portion of the retaining nut tends to exhibit lift-off.
Thus, the present invention provides an alternative retaining member suitable for use in a gas turbine engine, and an alternative method of assembly.